When it comes to horror film marketing, there has to be limits. Obviously no public place is going to display a poster for Hostel: Part II featuring a nude Bijou Phillips. And we've already seen LionsGate have trouble with controversial ad campaigns (and other devices). But as the studio currently known for milking the horror genre as far as it can, LionsGate just keeps on trying to push the envelope with its marketing strategies. The studio's latest controversy comes with its ads for Captivity, although LionsGate claims After Dark Films is responsible this time. Now, we've shown you a couple posters, and they both look pretty tame, but apparently there are some more offensive designs featured on billboards and taxi tops in L.A. and NYC. Because of complaints, these ads will all disappear by 2pm this afternoon.I'm shocked that even without this news that it is impossible to find photos of these gratuitous ads -- they were reportedly featured on 30 billboards and 1400 taxis -- but alas I can't seem to find any. The descriptions that I've read say the ad features a four-frame storyboard for a snuff film in which Elisha Cuthbert is being graphically tortured, and each frame is headed by one of the following captions: "abduction", "confinement", "torture" and "termination." As much as I hate the torture horror being released lately, I have to admit the ad sounds inventive. Of course, I already like the two one-sheets for the film, one of which reminds me of Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, the other of which makes me think of The 400 Blows. If anybody can get a quick snapshot of one of the ads before they're all gone, I would certainly appreciate being able to see it. In the meantime I'll just try and enjoy the new gallery of Captivity stills that Bloody-disgusting put up yesterday.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-20-2007 @ 1:49PM
nefariousone said...
Thanks for the link! Looks cool, but I can see why some might be offended...sort of.
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3-20-2007 @ 1:55PM
daisydog said...
here's a link to a pic of one of the billboards:
http://www.holycandy.com/captivitybillboard.jpg
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3-20-2007 @ 2:01PM
daisydog said...
here's a link to a pic of one of the billboards:
http://www.holycandy.com/captivitybillboard.jpg
Reply
3-20-2007 @ 6:59PM
Gilbert Davis said...
The picture's a tiny bit bigger over at the Drudge Report. And anything that brings negative publicity to the 'torture the mostly nude female' genre otherwise known as torture porn and helps to kick it back out the door is a good thing.
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3-20-2007 @ 10:22PM
Ray said...
I've seen a few of these here in New York-most recently this afternoon, which is also the first time I realized what movie it was for. Honestly, I can barely even read the ad from the sidewalk, much less make out the pictures. Hard to see what's offensive about it.
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3-21-2007 @ 12:02AM
linda said...
I tried to email you this captivity billboard, but I could find no way to contact you at all, a bit frustrating dude.
Any here is a photo of the billboard before it came down in Los Angeles
http://www.askmepc.com/page17.html
From this distance it doesn't seem that crazy to me.
I think there have been worse for sure
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3-31-2007 @ 11:57AM
Eric said...
You can also go here:
http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/ah4533.shtml
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